1938 FIFA World Cup qualification
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Teams | 37 (from 3 confederations) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 22 |
| Goals scored | 96 (4.36 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |
 Fricis Kaneps (5 goals) |
A total of 37 teams entered the 1938 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds, competing for a total of 16 spots in the final tournament. For the first time the title holders and the host country were given automatic qualification. Therefore, France, as the hosts, and Italy, as the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 14 spots open for competition.
Due to the Spanish Civil War, Spain withdrew from the competition. The remaining 34 teams were divided into 12 groups, based on geographical considerations, as follows:
However, due to the withdrawal of Austria after qualifying (they had been annexed by Germany), only 15 teams actually competed in the final tournament. FIFA did not offer participation to the runner-up of the group that Austria had played in, Latvia.
A total of 21 teams played at least one qualifying match. A total of 22 qualifying matches were played, and 96 goals were scored (an average of 4.36 per match).
The 12 groups had different rules, as follows:
Key:
Germany and Sweden qualified.
Norway qualified.
Poland finished above Yugoslavia on goal average, and thus qualified.
Egypt were to play Romania in December 1937, but Egypt refused to play Romania during the Ramadan month, with Egyptian officials arguing that it was "impossible" to play football during that time period.
After Egyptian officials invited Austrian club side First Vienna FC to Egypt to participate in a friendly game against the national team during the holy month, Egypt were withdrawn by FIFA, and Romania qualified automatically.
...
Wikipedia